Wire-stretcher.



H. HAQSDALE. WIRE STRETCHER. v APPLICATION Fl-LED JUNE?. |915@ PatentedMal; 7, 1916.

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"*UiviTnn STATES PATENT onirica.

HERSCHEL RAGSDALE, OF CEDAR VALE, KANSAS, ASSIGNR OF ONE-HALF T CHARLEYHINES, 0F CEDAR VALE, KANSAS. a

Y WIRE-STRETCHER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7, raie.y

Application filed .Tune 7. 1915. Serial No. 32,787.

of this character whereby fence wires can be stretched or wire strandscan be drawn and held together for splicing easily and quickly.

A further object is to produce a device of Y this character which can bemanipulated easilf.T by a single operator and which is of simple,strong, durable and inexpensive con-r struction.

Vith these objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel landpeculiar features of construction and organization as hereinafterdescribed and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understoodreference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in whichl Figure 1,is a perspective view showing the application of the wire stretcher inoperative position. Fig. 2, is a section on the line II-I of Fig. 3.Fig. 3, is a section on the line HI-III ofFig. 2. Fig. 4, isA

a rear view of the casing element of the stretcher. Fig. 5, is avertical section on the line V-V of Fig. 2.

In the said drawing a rectangular casing is constructed as follows: 1 isthe front member provided at its upper and lower margins with rearwardlyprojecting flanges 2 which flanges are bowed outwardly at 3 to providepassages for bolts hereinafter mentioned. At its ends the member 1 isprovided with inwardly projecting flanges 4; which terminate short ofthe rear ends of flanges 2. 5 is the companion or back member of thecasingfthe same fitting. a'gainstthe rear edges of the flanges 2 andprovided with holes 6 in line with the passages formed by the outwardlybowed portions 3, and at its ends said member 5 is provided withforwardly projecting flanges 7 which fit between the rear portions offlanges 2 at the ends thereof and are so proportioned as to form inconjunction with the flanges 4 of member 1, longitudinally alined slotsor passages 8. Bolts 9 extend through the passages formed by the bowedportions 3 and through holesl 6 and are engaged at their threaded endsby nuts 10 whereby the two members are clamped rmly together toconstitute the casing.Y Y

11 indicates a pair of rack bars which .eX- tend slidingly through slots8, with' their toothed edges adjacent andy their outer or smooth edgesfitting against flanges 2 of the casing.

12 is a doubleidisk within the casing fitting against the outer sides ofboth rack bars, and connecting said rack bars at equal distances apartare cross pins 13 intergeared with the two rack bars, and said doubledisk is provided with a rounded shank 14 extendingl through a journalopening 15 in the front member 1. The vsaid shank is preferably providedwith 1an angular outer portion 16 for detachable engagement by a crank`handle 17 employed to impart rotation to the disk and opposite slidingmovement to the' rack bars, when both of said bars are freer to travel.When one of said barsl is anchored against movement, the rotation of thedisk will impart double movement to the other rack bar owing to the factthat the pins in engagement with the stationary rack bar will constitutefulcrums whereby the moving rack bar shall travel a distance equal tothe joint `travel of thel rack bars when both are free to move. Y

18 is a spring plate secured to the-back member of the casing, andpivotedto ,thefree end of said plate is a beveled latchpin 19 fittingslidingly in an opening 2O in the back member and held normally pressedby the spring against the lower rackbar in the horizontal plane of theteeth thereof, so that as the rack bar' is adjusted each-tooth shallsuccessively engage and repress the latch pin, the said pin beingpressed forward again by this .spring so as to occupy the space behind,the tooth which repressed it thereby locking the rack bar againstreverse travel or movement, the intergeared relation between the rackbars of course likewise holding the companion rack bar against reversemovement.

For convenience in manually withdrawing the latch pin, an angle plate 21is rigidly secured to it at the outer side of the spring plate, and a-cam 22 is rigidly secured tothe pin at the inner side of the springplate.

the same, the cam 22 is caused to engage the adjacent end of the backmember and force its way between the same and the spring 18.'

In such action the spring of course yields and the pin is withdrawn toinoperative position. rThis means for holding the pin inoperative is forconvenience in slackening the wire or in releasing the wire preliminaryto resetting the stretcher quickly and easily for further action on thewire being stretched.

For convenience in attaching the device to the end or ends of the wireto be stretched, I provide grippers located at opposite ends of thecasing, one being pivotally attached to each bar. Each gripper comprisesa member 23 having a jaw 24, and a member 25 pivoted to member 23 andadapted to clamp a wire against jaw 24. One of the bars is also providedwith a chain or its equivalent 26.

Assuming that fence wire is being stretched, the chain 2G will be loopedover an anchor post 27 of the fence and the gripper of the other barwill be engaged with the wire to be stretched. rlhe crank handle 17 willthen be turned and thereby impart movement to the bar connected with thewire to be stretched, in the direction indicated by the arrow Fig. 1,the take-up in the wire being maintained through the engagement of thelatch pin with the successively presented notches of said bar. If oneoperation of the device is insuiiicient to take up all of the slack, thefree end of the wire can be temporarily secured to the anchor post. Theoperator can then turn handle 21 to effect the withdrawal of the latchpin and then reverse the rotation of the handle 1T to reverse themovement of the bar provided with the operative gripper so that saidgripper can be engaged with the wire at a point beyond the point whereit first gripped the wire. T he cam or wedge 22 is then restored toinoperative position to permit the latch pin to be readvanced and thenthe handle 17 Awill be operated as before, as will be readilyunderstood.

lf it is desired to splice a broken wire, the gripper-s are engaged withthe. broken ends of the wire. The handle is then operated to effectapproaching movement of the grippers until the wire ends are overlapped.

rPhe latch pin will then hold the wire stretched to enable the operatorto splice the said ends of the wire.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced awire stretcher embodying the features of advantage enumerated asdesirable, and 1 wish it to be understood that while l have illustratedand described what now appears to me to be the preferred form of thesame, I reserve the right to make all changes falling within the spiritand scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A wire stretcher, comprising a casing,

a pair of rack bars extending slidingly through the casing with theirteeth adjacent, a rotatable element within the casing, pins intergearedwith the rack bars7 means for turning said element to effect oppositelengthwise movement of said rack bar, and a spring-actuated beveledlatch pin to snap behind successive teeth of one of the rack bars toprevent reverse movement of said rack ba rs.

2. A wire stretcher, comprising a casing. a pair of rack bars extendingslidingly through the casing with their teeth adjacent. a rotatableelement within the casing, pins intergeared with tne rack bars, meansfor turning said element to effect opposite lengthwise movement of saidrack bar, means to lock the rack bars against reverse movement, and amovable cam or wedge to effect retraction of the locking means toinoperative position.

3. A wire stretcher, comprising a casing, a pair of rack bars extendingslidingly through the casing with their teeth adjacent. a rotatableelement within the casing, pins intergeared with the rack bars, meansfor turning said element to effect opposite lengthwise movement of saidrack bar, means to lock the rack bars against reverse movement, and arotatable cam or wedge to engage with the casing to force retraction ofthe locking means to inoperative position.

in testimony whereof, l affix my signature, in the presence of twowitnesses.

HERSCHEL RAGSDALE.

Witnesses J. J. VILLSON, ALICE TNEBIS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of latents, Washington, D. C.

